Sexier Than A Squirrel: Dog Training That Gets Real Life Results

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Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
Does being a good dog owner mean taking your dog for a walk every single day? What if that walk leaves your dog stressed, overwhelmed or rehearsing behaviours you really don’t want? And what if you could meet their needs brilliantly without heading out for a traditional walk at all?
This week, Lauren is joined by Michelle to talk about Ditch the Walk – and why sometimes choosing not to walk your dog can be every bit as thoughtful as choosing to walk them.
Together, they look at what we’re actually hoping to achieve when we take our dogs for a walk. Is it an opportunity to toilet? Physical exercise? Mental stimulation? Once we understand what we want the walk to provide, we can start thinking much more creatively about how we provide it. From scent work and training games at home to fitness, enrichment and secure dog fields, the traditional walk is just one option in a much bigger toolkit.
They also explore why this can be such an important conversation for reactive, worried and Naughty But Nice dogs. We can prepare carefully, choose quieter places and train brilliantly, but we can’t control the off-lead dog that suddenly appears around the corner. Lauren and Michelle share experiences with their own dogs and explain why safeguarding confidence sometimes means being very selective about who, when, where and why you walk.
And when you do choose to head out? Preparation matters. You’ll hear how secure spaces, long lines, recall training and having a strategy for difficult moments can help you build the skills your dog needs before asking them to cope with more challenging environments.
This isn’t about never walking your dog. It’s about letting go of the idea that a daily walk is compulsory, looking at the dog in front of you and choosing experiences that genuinely work for both of you.
Want more ideas for training, enrichment and building the skills your dog needs? You can join Games Club for just £1 and discover plenty of ways to give your dog a brilliant day – walk or no walk.
Check out the £1 Games Club trial here:
https://absolutedogs.me/7daytrial
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

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Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, we’re continuing our series of episodes exploring what concept training actually is and how it shows up in real life with your dog. We’re taking the concepts you hear us talk about all the time, breaking them down, and making them practical, relatable, and easy to spot in your everyday training. This time, Lauren is joined by the brilliant Alice to explore flexibility – your dog’s ability to roll with whatever life throws their way.
Does your dog know exactly when dinner should arrive? Start pestering the moment walk time approaches? Pull like a train along the familiar route to the park? Or struggle when something doesn’t happen quite the way they expected? Those everyday patterns can tell us a lot about flexibility – and what happens when expectations and reality don’t quite match.
In this episode, Lauren and Alice explore how building mental flexibility can reduce frustration, lower arousal and help dogs cope more easily when plans change. Because life does change. Walks get cancelled, holidays happen, dogs stay with other people, routines shift and sometimes the thing your dog expected simply isn’t going to happen today. The more adaptable they can be, the easier those changes become.
You’ll also hear loads of practical ways to grow flexibility through everyday life and training. From ditching the bowl and varying your walking routes to Noise Box, changing the outcome your dog expects and taking familiar behaviours into completely different situations, Lauren and Alice share simple ways to help your dog discover that different can be absolutely fine. They even explore how flexibility can help with calm comings and goings, separation and those Christmas-morning greetings every time you walk through the door.
And there’s a lesson for the human end of the lead too. Sometimes helping our dogs become more flexible means looking at our own expectations, changing the picture we had in our heads and learning to work with the dog standing in front of us.
Ready to help your dog become an “I can roll with it” kind of dog? Grab the £1 Games Club trial, explore the games that grow flexibility and discover just how much easier life can feel when change is no big deal.
https://absolutedogs.me/7daytrial
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, Lauren is joined by Michelle for a slightly different conversation – all about food, healthy habits and some of the choices they’ve made to help themselves feel better day to day.
Because when life is busy, eating well can very easily become another thing on the to-do list. You’re hungry, you’re short on time, and suddenly whatever is quickest and easiest wins.
So Lauren and Michelle are getting practical about how they make the healthier option the convenient option too.
From keeping boiled eggs and fresh fruit ready to grab, to frozen fruit, smoothies, cauliflower rice, quick soups and a LOT of enthusiastic guacamole chat, they share the foods and little bits of preparation that help them eat well without spending their lives in the kitchen.
They also talk about flexibility. Eating well day to day doesn’t mean never having the pizza you really fancy when you’re out with friends. It’s about finding choices and habits that work for your life – and noticing how you feel along the way.
And, of course, there’s a dog-training connection too. Lauren and Michelle both notice the difference when they feel well fuelled, energised and ready to take on the day – whether they’re training dogs, competing, travelling or simply keeping up with everything life throws at them.
If this conversation leaves you feeling inspired to give your own food habits a little attention, Lauren and Michelle also share more about the upcoming Health Retreat, where you can join them in person or online for a week of food, learning, cooking and plenty of ideas to take home with you.
Have a listen – and perhaps make your shopping list as you go. Lauren certainly did!
Devon Dogs Health Retreat (November 2026)
https://www.devondogs.co.uk/product/health-retreat-27th-november-2026/ 
Devon Dogs Bake-Off: The Human End of the Lead (17th October 2026)
https://www.devondogs.co.uk/product/devon-dogs-bake-off-17th-october-the-human-end-of-the-lead/
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, Lauren is joined once again by Justin Prust for a conversation about something that can make a huge difference to your confidence, your skills and even the opportunities that come your way: continuing to learn.
And learning doesn’t have to mean signing up for another qualification or finding hours you simply don’t have. It could be 15 minutes with a book, 20 minutes training your own dog, listening to a podcast, watching someone else train or simply having a great conversation with someone who knows something you don’t.
Lauren and Justin explore how those small opportunities to learn can build confidence and create momentum – and why learning becomes even more powerful when you share what you’ve discovered with somebody else. One person learns something, passes it on, inspires someone else to have a go… and suddenly learning becomes giving too.
There’s also plenty of chat about the less tidy side of learning: trying something you’re terrible at, being willing to get things wrong and accepting that progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line. Whether it’s dog training, reading, surfing, whistling or mastering a completely ridiculous new skill, staying curious keeps us growing.
Most importantly, learning should be fun. When we enjoy the process, we’re far more likely to remember it, keep doing it and share that enthusiasm with the people around us.
So what could you learn today?
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
What happens when dogs and horses meet out on a walk – and how do we make sure everyone stays safe? This week, Lauren is joined by Michele, who brings decades of experience with horses alongside her work with Naughty But Nice dogs, to talk about the responsibility we have when dogs, horses and livestock share the same spaces.
A horse with a rider can be a very strange picture for a dog. It’s big, it moves differently, it can appear suddenly around a corner – and for dogs who already struggle with novelty, movement, chasing or high arousal, that can be a LOT to process.
From the rider’s side, a loose dog approaching or chasing a horse can be genuinely dangerous. Horses are powerful flight animals, things can go wrong incredibly quickly, and “my dog is friendly” doesn’t mean very much when that dog can’t be called back.
Lauren and Michele talk about what having your dog under control really means, why a brilliant recall matters, and the practical choices you can make when you spot a horse ahead. They also explore how communicating with the rider, understanding your individual dog and preparing for these situations before they happen can make everyone’s experience safer.
And that preparation is a huge part of this episode. From mentally rehearsing what you’ll do when a distraction appears to practising recall when there isn’t a horse in sight, Lauren and Michele share how training ahead can help both you and your dog respond differently when it really matters.
You’ll also hear why Scatter Recall is such a powerful game, alongside long lines, whistle recalls, emergency recalls and the everyday skills that can give you far more confidence around horses, livestock, cyclists, dogs and other distractions.
If recall is something you’d love to strengthen with your dog, Games Club is packed with games to help you build those skills – and right now, you can come and try it for just £1.
Let’s build dogs who are ready for the situations they might meet – and walks that are safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
Check out the £1 Games Club trial here:
https://absolutedogs.me/7daytrial
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!